For many, understanding how to leverage social media as it relates to marketing can feel overwhelming. Even the starting point of where and what to post can seem daunting.
Nevertheless, the benefits of posting regularly to social media can provide incredible value, leading to greater brand awareness. In this blog, we’ll cover the basics and give you a few jumping-off points to start building your brand.
Where to Start
Let’s begin by talking about where you can build your brand. In the current digital age, two of the most well-known platforms are Facebook and Instagram, both owned by META. Both platforms are used by billions of people and can help drive awareness in substantial ways.
In fact, according to many marketing experts, having a Facebook page for your business is a necessity. That being said, it’s important to add that a home care agency’s social media presence should not be used to replace its website.
Data from March 2023 shows Facebook had more than 2.96 billion monthly active users (MAUs). As of June 2023, there were over 200 million business Facebook pages and 93% of businesses were actively using Facebook as a marketing tool.
Instagram, also owned by META, continues to grow by leaps and bounds. With 2 billion MAUs, Instagram is on track to grow to 2.5 billion MAUs this year.
If your home care agency is looking for a good starting point, posting to these two social channels is ideal for these two reasons:
- They are two of the most popular, well-known, and established platforms.
- If your agency is low on time and staff resources, it’s easy to connect Facebook and Instagram so your agency can create one message that posts simultaneously to both platforms.
How Many Social Media Platforms Are There?
There are many social media platforms available on the internet. In fact, check out this list of some of the most popular ones:
- TikTok
- YouTube
- Snapchat
- Twitter (now X)
- Threads
This list isn’t even conclusive! Check out this list of 21 Top Social Media Sites according to Buffer. As you can see from that article, it’s already outdated because, since it was published, META has launched Threads, a competitor of Twitter (X).
It’s likely the platforms listed above are the ones that your home care agency staff have heard of and likely even use themselves. Most of these social channels have a substantial number of users, but a key thing to keep in mind are the demographics of each platform, who your audience is, and the ease of using the platform.
Leverage Social Media to Build Your Brand
Whether you are just beginning to leverage social media or reinvigorating your social media presence, it’s best to focus on what appeals to your specific home care agency’s audience.
Know Your Target Audience
Determine who your target audience is and find a social platform that fits that demographic. For example, if baby boomers are a key segment for your home care agency, the majority of them are on Facebook. Gen X uses several social channels including Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.
It’s also important to mention that if boomers are your audience, their daily use of social is up by 14 minutes since Q1 of 2020. That’s the most of any generation, so if you’re not marketing to them on social media, you’re missing a huge opportunity.
Know What to Post
Figuring out what to post can be the most difficult part of managing your business’s social media. It’s always best to stick to the 80/20 rules when it comes to social posting. Only 20% of your posts should be specific brand promotion, while the remaining 80% should be useful for your audience.
That other 80% can include posts that educate, entertain, and offer solutions or value to your audience. From Motivation Mondays and Thankful Thursdays to National Ice Cream Day and National Dog Month, there’s a wide range of social holidays you can incorporate into your schedule as well.
There are plenty of websites that have lists of those social media holidays. You can also use industry-related sources to discover national health observances such as National Senior Citizens Day, Self-Care Awareness Month, or Family Caregivers Month.
Remember, these don’t always have to relate to your business or even your industry. They should relate to your audience though.
For example, if you know your audience is comprised of stressed-out moms who are dealing with young children and aging parents, some of your posts might promote self-care, exploring nature, or motivational quotes that can help them cope with their everyday struggles.
When trying to figure out what to post, ask yourself how you engage with social media. Do you prefer to read a blog like this one? Are quick graphics all you have time to read? Or maybe a video is more your style. All are good options, but the most important thing to keep in mind is that consistency is the key.
Determine a cadence that fits your business best. A single post once a week is infinitely more effective than no posts at all. Given the nature of our industry, leverage the human moments you and your staff create each day.
- Is a client or a family member willing to do a short testimonial on camera that you can post?
- Perhaps your caregivers or office staff can share what brought them into this career.
- Are you getting good Google reviews? Share them on your social sites!
A personal approach focusing on your clients, their loved ones, or your caregivers can show the human element of your business and help build a loyal community.
In addition to marketing your agency for prospective clients, your brand reputation is something prospective caregivers will likely take into account as well. Building up your brand on social media is an important and very relevant piece of that puzzle.
But I Don’t Know How!
One of the most common responses we hear from agencies when it comes to marketing their business is they don’t feel like they have the skill set to develop a social media presence. This could be from a lack of technical expertise or not being a creative type of person. The good news is that there are helpful resources and tools available.
If you choose to start with Facebook and Instagram, META has a free scheduler built in so you can spend some time each week creating and scheduling content. If your agency already uses META but wants to add other channels like LinkedIn, YouTube, or Twitter (X), there are affordable social scheduling tools available like Loom.ly and Buffer. These tools allow users to cross-post on a variety of platforms all from a single dashboard.
If you don’t know how to create graphics, tools like Canva offer free versions as well as affordable pro plans that allow you to use their images and videos in your graphics. Canva also has pre-built templates so you don’t have to figure out what sizes you need to create.
Leveraging social media can seem like a lot of work. And I’m not going to lie; it is. But it’s an important and critical part of your marketing strategy.
Google’s Got One, Too!
Don’t forget about your Google Business Profile (GBP)! Even though most people don’t consider a GBP a form of social media marketing, Google does. And since Google is the #1 search engine on the planet, it’s important to be in their space.
It’s crucial that homecare agencies have a Google listing and update their GBP at least once per month. The easiest way to do that is through a monthly blog post.
Agencies can also add events, such as career fairs or open houses to their GBP to help increase visibility and enhance their branding.
One final thing before I let you go.
Consider the Competition
If your homecare agency wants to leverage social media to build brand awareness, there are many resources available to help get your staff started. You can also do some competitive research to see what other agencies are doing. Don’t copy them because that’s just not nice, but you can certainly use their content to spark ideas for what you can put on your own social platforms.